The Risks of Hazard blog is devoted to the exploration of natural catastrophe risk, and how to better understand it for insurance. An important aspect of the topic is how the analytics can be delivered. The software that delivers the analytics is as important as the analytics themselves.
Cloud computing is driving a software revolution as astonishing as any other computing revolution of the past 40 years. With the processors and memory moved to the cloud, along with the advance in both of those aspects of computing, it is now possible to build software solutions that would have been impossible 5 years ago. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (Sass) are the only ways in which innovative software products are being built now. And they are being built to work on the next generation of IT infrastructure being installed by forward-thinking companies everywhere, like Allianz.
As analytics for location-based risk advance, it is only sensible that they be built and delivered using cloud-based technology rather than older server-based systems. There are several risk assessment and accumulation platforms available now through the cloud, and more are coming.
Right now, though, this whole transformation to the cloud can lead to difficult purchasing decisions. With the latest in risk analytics being built on cloud platforms and competing against established analytics built on old technology, insurers can be faced with a decision between:
- The solution they need (analytics that work on current and future IT infrastructure), with some risk on delivery times as development – and innovation - continues.
- The analytics they don’t need on out-of-date technology, with no risk at all.
A final thought on this topic is encapsulated nicely in this blog (warning: crass language). It talks about Unicorns (i.e., start-up businesses valued at $1B), but it’s relevant to all companies building the products that will lead to future success.
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